Pump up your winter nutrition with these healthy immune boosts – in smoothie style for adults and shot-size form for children.
With cold season upon us, it’s time to prep your young ones for the bugs that will be lurking around the school yard. It is important to keep your kids’ immune systems strong by adding in an extra dose of nutrients into their diet leading up to and throughout the winter months. Fruit and vegetables are important for building up immunity through the abundance of vitamins and minerals that they naturally contain. Good gut health is another key player when it comes to fighting off bad bugs, which can be achieved through eating probiotic- rich foods such as yoghurt and kefir. High-powered healing smoothie shots are great and easy way to get the right nutrients into your kids without them evening knowing. Include one of these smoothies into your family’s diet each day for an extra flu-fighting punch. Each recipe makes enough for two full adult glasses and two kids’ shots.
ANTI-FLU IMMUNE BUILDER
- 1 cup of tightly packed kale
- 1⁄2 cup of finely chopped broccoli
- 1 cup of fresh pineapple chunks
- 1 small ripe banana
- 1 1⁄2 cups of water
Wash, de-stem the kale, and place the leaves into the blender. Wash and chop the broccoli and add to the blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Add a handful of ice cubes and blend until smooth.
THE COUGH ELIXIR
- Juice of 1/2 a large lemon
- 1 teaspoon of raw honey (for kids under 12 months use coconut nectar or pure maple syrup)
- 2 oranges, peeled
- 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
- 1 1/2 cups of water
Place all ingredients into a blender with a handful of ice cubes and blend until smooth. Note: Ginger is great for reducing pain and inflammation.
Gut-healing smoothie
- 1 1/2 cups of frozen berries
- 1 medium sized beetroot, peeled
- 2 teaspoons of ground flaxseed
- 1/4 cup of all natural greek yoghurt (use kefir or coconut yoghurt for dairy-free kids)
- 1 1/2 cups of water
Place all ingredients into a blender with a handful of ice cubes and blend until smooth. Note: Greek yoghurt is a great source of probiotics for gut health.
CHLOE MOIR IS A NUTRITIONIST WITH A PASSION FOR HELPING PEOPLE MAKE HEALTHY DIETARY AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES. VISIT CHLOEMOIRNUTRITION.COM FOR HEALTH RECIPES AND NUTRITION TIPS.
